In the far reaches of the interior of China, a life-size replica of the

Titanic

begins to take shape in the middle of the fields, before welcoming tourists to a theme park dedicated to the mythical ocean liner. In Suining (southwest of the country), four cranes rise around a huge dry warehouse, next to a river. A swarm of workers is activated around the hull of the giant ship. A gigantic replica of the Titanic will emerge from the work, the infamous ship that sank more than a century ago in the Atlantic Ocean,

killing more than 1,500 passengers

and crew members.

"It is a very complicated project," Su Shaojun, the creator of the initiative, told AFP. "We built a big ship like an aircraft carrier" on land, Su explains in his office, in front of a replica of the ocean liner. In Suining,

the nearest sea is more than 1,000 kilometers away

. But the businessman is convinced that tourists will still come to visit his "Titanicland", his theme park dedicated to the ship. The cost of the project is 10 billion yuan (1.2 billion euros, 1.45 billion dollars) and the inauguration is scheduled for the end of the year.

The Titanic was in its time the

largest passenger ship

ever built.

This mastodon, considered unsinkable, suffered what is considered the greatest disaster in maritime history.

Like the original, the replica of Su is

260 meters long

.

It took six years to build - twice as much as the real Titanic - a hundred workers and 23,000 tons of steel.

Everything from the dining room to the luxury cabins to the door handles is inspired by the original.

For added realism, a

real steam engine

will give visitors the impression of actually being at sea.

Two workers walk in front of a wall with the image of the Titanic.AFP

DiCaprio at the inauguration?

"Experts and historians have corroborated the construction plans," Su says. The price of one night of "cruise" in this replica will be 2,000 yuan (256 euros, 310 dollars). Before going "on board", tourists will cross the park by minibus, with a sound background of the inevitable

My heart will go on

by Céline Dion, original band from the movie

Titanic,

starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

Like all over the world, the film was hugely successful in China when it came out in 1997, and the liner was back on the front pages in China after the release of an unpublished documentary that revealed the story of

six Chinese shipwreck survivors

. Despite the Chinese interest in the Titanic, some wonder about the viability of the replica. A few years ago, a $ 15 million copy of a US aircraft carrier was abandoned shortly after its inauguration. Entrepreneur Su is, however, optimistic and

expects to receive between two and five million tourists each year.

.

"For the opening ceremony we would like to invite Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet)", the two main characters of the film "and James Cameron", its director, Su says.

The Titanic, which sailed from Southampton (southern United Kingdom) on April 10, 1912 to New York,

sank after hitting an iceberg

off the coast of Canada.

The remains of the ship, discovered in 1985, lie at a depth of 4,000 meters.

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